mega merger. american airlines and us airways reach a deal to consolidate into the world's largest airline but what will it mean for tiktd prices. >> the nightmare for thousands of cruise passengers finally ends when their boat is towed into port. and new details about the final hours before the accused killer christopher dorner engaged a violent standoff with police. captioning funded by cbs this is the "cbs morning news" for thursday, february 14th, 2013. good morning. good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. well, this morning american airlines and us airways will announce they are merging to form the world's largest airline. the deal's been in the works since august combining bankrupt

american what the much smaller us airways. if this later airline mega merger is approved, four airlines will control about three quarters of the u.s. airline traffic. susan mcginnis is in washington with more on this story. susan, good morning. >> good morning. this is the latest mergener this massive consolidation that has taken place over just the last five or six years. this one's going combine the third and the fourth biggest airlines to form the biggest largest. now, the typical winners in these massive deals are usually airlines themselves because they can save and boost profits and also wall street. for travelers it often leads to higher fares, fewer flight, and fewer seats. american airlines and usz airways are joining forces to join the biggest airline in the world. our best goal going forward

is to make it the biggest strongest airline in the country, and i suppose that's about to happen. >> the combined carrier will have american airlines' new look and old name. it combines continental and delta. >> the only way to survive at least some of the airlines believe is to merge together, grow, and then don't overlap as much. >> with american in bankruptcy, it will be up to a federal judge to decide if the deal will be a good one for its creditors. >> american, if it had not done some sort of a merger" would have been inferior to its bigger networks. >> the department of justice will have to sign off on the deal. they'll look at whether the merger will mean less competition. >> american will have a mobopoly on virtually every route that they fly. >> if the deal flies, the world's four biggest airlines would control nearly 70% of all air traffic. experts say ticket prices could take off as a result.

>> even though people say that this particular merger of us airways and american airlines isn't going to raise ticket prices, i don't believe that one bit. >> despite those concerns, the merger is expected to be approved. now, as the industry consolidate, the big loser is said to be travelers which they really have no alternative to this form of travel. mernlers like this one in the past has led to higher airfares of 20% to 30% in some markets. >> ooh, that is going to hirt. thank you. susan mcginnis, thank you. well, oscar who made it to the olympics as sprinter is now in price custody after a woman was shot dead in his home in south africa. there are reports that she was his girlfriend but that he mistook her for a girlfriend and shot her, but police is not saying what relationship she had with the runner. he's made history at the london games last summer when he reached the 400 semifinals

despite running with prosthetic legs. the 26-year-old will appear in court later today. the damaged karen valg cruise ship is expected to dock later this afternoon. an engine room fire on sunday left it powerless and adrift on the oklahoma city. they add mitd the ship has experienced previous mechanical problems but that comes to little comfort to the thousands of passengers still on board. randall pinkston reports. >> reporter: they're waiting in mobile, alabama, for their ship to come in. their daughters are aboard the triumph with their fathers. the cruise ship has been without power since sunday. she says her daughter was terrified. >> what hurt me so badly was for her to say, mommy, i'm so scared because i don't know if i'll get to see you again. >> reporter: the trouble started when an engine fire knocked out the power on the ship.

a personals have been enduring food shortages, overflowing toilet and hot air without air conditioning. >> they were requested to use bags to urinate and go to the bathroom. >> reporter: carnival's plan is for passengers to board buses to galveston or houston, texas, or new orleans where 1,500 hotel rooms have been booked. >> but her daughter won't be getting on the bus. >> they will be walking away and coming to us. >> reporter: they're also offering full refunds, a credit toward a future cruise, and $500. in a statement, carnival's ceo said we're very sorry for what our guests have had to endure, not to mention their families on shore. randall pinkston, cbs news, mobile, alabama. well, president obama

travels to atlanta today to push the economic and social agenda. he laid out in his state of the union address. the president was in asheville, north carolina, yesterday talking about job creation and stimulus spending, all issues that are part of the current discussion. mandatory cuts known as sequester kick in march 1st. speaker of the house john boehner said all the president is offering is higher taxes and more spending. >> they have twice passed bills. it's up incumbent on the president and the democrats to show us their point to stop the sequester from going into effect. >> boehner also says he objects to the proes posal to raise the minimum wage to $9. they say they will pump money into the economy but business groups contend it will burden employers and cost jobs. anthony mason reports. >> reporter: at cafe joey's

italian restaurant in aubrey, texas, owner joe picca is not okay with the president's wanting to increase the minimum wage. picca has 13 employees at his restaurant. >>cy i'm a business owner myself, and it's hard. >> reporter: five of them earn minimum wage. picca says the higher costs could be crippling. >> i have actually a couple of choices. the two choices are to close down, the other choice is tony crease prices. >> reporter: even if the minimum wage is raiset to $9, the income of a family of four with one worker would still be under $5,000 of the poverty line of $23,950, although tax credits would bring the family slightly above that level. >> we need an economy where consumers can afford to spend. >> reporter: he studies wage trends for the national

employment law trend. >> is there evidence that raising the minimum wage is beneficial? >> there is. they found it resulted in very substantial boost in consumer spending in low income communities. >> reporter: that 2011 study by the chicago fed found an overall increase in spending of 2, $800 by households with minimum wage workers. >> it works just like a tax cut for low wage worker. it gives them more money in their pockets to spend at local businesses. >> reporter: if it had kept pace with inflation, studies show, it would now be $10.56. the white house says a $9 minimum wage would only bring buying power back up to 1981 levels. anthony mason, cbs news, new york. well, coming up on the "morning news," the find showdown. police reveal new details on the standoff and fire that's believe to have killed christopher

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well, it may take essentially more days before authorities positively identify the human remains burned out in barned down cabin but police have called off the search on christopher dorner who had a deadly vendetta against the los angeles police department. >> reporter: they were the last to see him before the shoot-out that ended in flames. >> he opened the door and came at us hchl e had his gun drawn. >> reporter: the reynolds honed this resort where dorner was apparently hiding from law enforcement right across the street from the command center. they sate was them, not housekeepers who tied us up. >> he talked to us, trying to calm us down, saying very frequently he would not kill us. >> reporter: they say dorn e

then stole their car. it was that getaway that led to police with a shoot-out inside another cabin. it was then the police sent in pyrotechnic tear gas that burned down that fire. >> reporter: detective jair nyia mckay was killed in that gun bat. law enforcement in the communities had started to withdraw officers when the search for dorner was turning up empty that. i swarmed again during the standoff but now police are beginning to open up these roadblocks. many here are relieved it's all oth over. >> very glad that he's taken care of because he was killing people. >> reporter: one of those victims, riverside police officer michael crane was laid to rest wednesday. hundreds of police officers from across southern california attended the funeral. teresa garcia, angeles oaks,

california. pope benedict delivered his final public mass on wednesday. [ speaking in latin ] >> thousands packed into st. pete 'eers basilica to pay tribute to the pontiff who will step down at the end of this month. when he left for the last time, the crowd gave him a standing occasion. many had tears in their eyes. he's the first pope to resign in 600 years. >> zrat ahestraight ahead your morning weather and in this morning's "moneywatch" report from candy to cards and flowers to jewelry, how much are you spending on your sweetheart this valentine's day? ooooo

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here's a look at today's forecast if there stoims around the country. 46 the high in new york turning i. ma'am, showers, 80, chicago, showers 4rks 2. dallas, sunny, 678, los angeles, high of 75. now for a check on your national forecast. light snow will fall in parts of the midwest. up to a foot could drop in michigan's upper peninsula. will be clearing in the northwest. the rest of the west will be dry and it will be dry in the south as well. on the "cbs moneywatch" now, the fate of saturday mail delivery, and how much are you spending for valentine's day? ashley morrison is here in new york with that and more. good morning, ashley. >> good morning to you, anne-marie. tokyo's nikkei gained half a

percent while hong kong's hang seng add 1%. they're worried americans aren't eating out enough. mcdonald's stock fell so did other fast food companies. the dow dropped to the highest to 13,982. the nasdaq went up 10 points. post master general patrick donohoe was on capitol hill wednesday. he begged congress not to block planned to end saturday din delivery. he said it would save the agency $2 billion a year. the postal service lost $1.3 billion in the final three months of last year. americans are cutting back on spending last month. the government said retail sales went up a tenth of a percent in january after going up half a percent in december. the payroll tax cut and higher taxes for wealthy americans are hurting the economy. and spending is in the air this valentine's day.

the national retail federation says sales are up this year, averaging around $130 per person. that's about $4 more than last year. men will spend almost twice as much as women. guys will plunk down an average of $175 while the ladies will spend just $88. and what happened to love doesn't cost a thing? >> is that what they say? i was planning on putting a little sticky note on the fridge to nudge someone, give someone some ideas. >> there you go. ashley morrison here in new york. in sports they renew one of college basketball's fiercest rivalries. with ever the game the team's managers face off for a match of their own. the duke squad won with a three-pointer at the buzzer but the main event wouldn't be as close. the second ranked blue devils take down usc, 73-68. and check out this wild shot. miami's durand scott puts up. he's off balance. tosses the ball.

the ball goes in. miami beats florida state, 7 74-68. and nba's best team needs great luck. he hit the three-pointer to give san antonio a one-point lead over cleveland but the cavs have one last chance. kyrie's irving's mark is off the mark. when we return, the hard truth about soft drinks. we'll tell you why the government is pushing to reduce the sweeteners in your soda. start at just 6 bucks. so ditch the brown bag for something better. like our bacon ranch quesadillas or big mouth burger bites, over cleveland but the cavs have starting at just 6 bucks, at chili's. if yyou've got thegood whenwrong toilet paper.room, you want it to get you clean... gently. as long as i use quilted northern ultra plush® i'm happy... and positive i'm clean. quilted northern ultra plush with the innerlux layer. for a comfortable, confident clean, or your money back.

well, here's a look at today's frafrt in some cities around the country. washington, d.c., atlanta, and st. louis, mostly sunny, all in the 509s, but atlanta gets up to 58 degrees. denver, afternoon snow, a high of 38, and seattle can expect showers, a high of 52. it is the latest proposal in the war on obesity.

a major consumer group says we are drinking too much sugar, and as marlie hall reports, it says it is time to lighten up on the sweeteners. >> reporter: this is how much high fructose corn syrup consumer advocates say the average american drinks each year. that's the sugar in soda. >> that's about 70,000 calories per year. >> reporter: the center for science in the public interest is calling on the food and drug administration to limit the sugar content in soda and other sugary drinks. the group says current levels are harmless, leading to obesity, heart disease, and other health problems. >> when you're faced with a diabetes epidemic, the situation in which two-thirds of american adults are overweight or obese, the government has a responsibility to do something about that. >> reporter: the average 20-ounce bottle of soda has about 16 tea spoons of sugar in it. that's double the daily recommendation. experts say the problem is it's easy to consume too much sugar

when it's in a liquid. >> to just eat 16 tea spoons of sugar rng it's almost impossible to do that but you can gulp it down in a minute and two and go back to another. >> reporter: the beverage industry is doing its part noting the calories have come down in the last 15 years. others think something has to be done. >> something needs to be d done in order to protect their health. >> reporter: people are drinking fewer sugary bertsch rajs th th decade ago but it's still four times what they drank in the 1950s. marlie hall, cbs news, new york. just in time for valentine's day, it's mating season for the tasmanian devil. the sound of romance. these two devils were released into the wild and the female is considered genetic royalty because she's cancer-free.

the disease almost wiped ow out the speciesee. coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," oscar winner helen hunt. i'm anne-marie green. this is the "cbs morning news." r to help those in need. when a twinge of back pain surprises him. morning starts in high spirits, but there's a growing pain in his lower back. as lines grow longer, his pain continues to linger. but after a long day of helping others, he gets some helpful advice. just two aleve have the strength to keep back pain away all day. today, jason chose aleve. just two pills for all day pain relief. try aleve d for strong, all day long sinus and headache relief. and some people found that a little bit strong. but as soon as they tasted blonde roast, boy they were on board. ♪

. good morning. welcome to wusa9. happy valentine's day. today is february 14.

happy valentine's day. i'm mike hydeck. like on the dating game. good morning. i'm mike hydeck. she's monika samtani. i'm toss it over to howard. >> you have the valentine's day blue tie on. weather wise a beautiful snow for those would had it because it stuck to the trees and the grass but not the roads. an inch and a half up in my place in clarksburg, maryland. very pretty snow. it's gone. no real problems today. here's a look at your day planner. expecting plenty of sunshine on this thursday morning. temperatures are going to be climbing into the low 50s in a few spots. a nice afternoon. not too windy. this morning i want to tell you we have to worry about a touch of fog and temperatures close enough to freezing that we could have a few slick spots. look how quickly the rain-snow maker has pulled off to the east with clearing skies behind

it this morning. advice i can't down to a mile or to. i've seen them lower early. if you're traveling toward york in the next little while, look at that. around town just a little haze in the air. temperatures this morning which are down to 28 in manassas so watch out there, frederick, gaithersburg. wet roads untreated. you can flash freeze quickly so be careful. with more on that and the rest of the commute which is just beginning, here's monika. it's just beginning or already begun in some cases. we have an end on the inbound side of the 11th street bridge early this morning. it involved a metropolitan police officer on the inbound side of the 11th street bridge. so you want to watch your step. minor injuries. he was transported to the hospital. right lane is blocked. they're waiting on a tow truck. no problems to report on southbound side of i-270 where

most of the snow fall came down north and west. road conditions are just wet. you should be okay as you come in,marrymantown. let's go -- jer -- come in from germantown. let's go to our traffic cameras on the inbound side of i-66 at the fairfax county parkway. everything looks pretty good. back to you. >> thank you, monika. we begin this morning with the mysterious death in alexandria, virginia. a 94-year-old man was found dead inside his home last night. >> investigators say he suffered some sort of trauma to his upper body. police got a call around 6:50. when they got to the home, relatives told officers they found their father unconscious and not breathing. he was pronounced dead. >> we're considering all possibilities.

we don't have any suspect in custody at this point but we're interviewing all of the family members and other potential witnesses and we would ask that if anyone saw or heard anything in the area that they contact us and let us know. >> investigators are now waiting on an autopsy before they release the cause of death. police are calling this case suspicious. funeral services will be held today for seven-month-old la ris is a -- larissa, the little girl smothered to death by her teenage brother. the mother was at work. the boy told investigators he hit the girl, put his hand over her mouth and nose to stop her from crying. the boy is being charged as an adult. the sheriff in california said his deputies did not intentionally burn down the cabin where christopher dorner is believed to have died. the sheriff says pyrotechic tear gas was shot into the cabin which